How to Make a Coat for a Puppy Out of Tube Socks

by Cindy Quarters

Puppies don't need designer duds to stay warm.

Very small dogs sometimes suffer from the cold, especially if they have short hair. Make a coat for your buddy quickly out of a tube sock, which will hug his body and provide some extra warmth, making it much more comfy for him to go outside.

Lay a sock out on a flat surface. Press it smooth with your hand.

Cut off and discard the elastic top of the sock. Make sure not to leave any of the ribbing behind. Cut off and discard the toe section as well, which usually is about the last 2 inches of the tube sock.

Snip a small leg hole near each side of the flattened sock, about 3 to 4 inches down from the top of the sock. Make these holes large enough to fit your puppy’s legs comfortably using the tips of the scissors.

Slide the sock on over your puppy’s head. He may be scared, since this is something new, so go slowly and encourage him with plenty of praise. His head should poke out of the top of the sock. Once it is around his neck and no longer over his eyes, gently put one of the pup’s legs into each of the leg holes. Slide the rest of the sock down over your little guy’s body.

Check the leg holes to make sure the material isn’t too tight around your puppy’s legs. If it is, remove the sock and enlarge the holes using the scissors so that you can slip a finger in easily next to your puppy’s legs.

Feel around your pup’s neck to ensure that he has plenty of slack and can breathe easily. If there’s too much sock around his neck, roll it down, turtleneck-style, or remove the sock and trim off a bit of the excess.

Remove the sock and decorate it with ribbons, rickrack, nontoxic markers or anything else you’d like to use. Keep in mind that anything you put on the sock may end up in your pup’s mouth, so never use anything choking-size or potentially poisonous. Leave the sock plain if you like it the way it is.

Sew around the leg and neck openings with a buttonhole stitch to keep them from raveling. Verify that the openings remain comfortably loose for your dog. Skip this step if you don’t mind snipping away a few stray threads from time to time.

Items you will need

Tube sock

Scissors

Rickrack, ribbon and other decorations, optional

Needle and thread, optional

Tip

Warning

Never leave your puppy unattended while he’s dressed in his sock coat. It’s possible, though not likely, that he could get tangled in it and could be injured. Always remove the coat and put it where your puppy can’t get it, just in case.